Thinking of planning a trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, California? Be sure to include a few days to explore more of Southern California!
There are great things to do and see when visiting this beautiful area from great theme park destinations, museums, iconic pop culture attractions and beautiful parks to incredible outdoor adventures!
LEGOLAND
LEGOLAND California Resort has more than 60 rides, shows & attractions! There are over 30,000 LEGO models that are created from more than 60 million Legos! Within walking distance to the front of the park are two LEGO themed hotels. The LEGOLAND HOTEL, features family friendly rooms with either pirate, adventure, kingdom, LEGO Friends or NINJAGO themed rooms and the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel with rooms featuring knights, dragons, magic wizards or royal princesses!
Accommodations
The rooms at both hotels include a children’s sleeping area with bunk beds with a trundle bed, a TV and an interactive treasure hunt! Throughout each hotel corridor, lobby & restaurants are also fun LEGO artwork, storytelling and even a few mischievous surprises scattered about!
The Park
This popular park is geared for families with children between the ages of 2 & 12. There are thrill rides, interactive rides and entertaining shows & parades. There is also Sea Life Aquarium which is home to over 5,000 marine creatures and LEGOLAND Water Park. The water park features water slides, a wave pool, sandy beaches and a lazy river. Of course, each also feature fun & creative LEGO sculptures & models.
Add-on these features to your trip!
There are many different amenities you can add to your park days:
- Reserve & Ride which allows you to bypass the standby line by using your mobile device to schedule a return time for select rides & attractions.
- Reserve a private cabana at the water park,
- Add your parking fee to your park admission and save a bit
- VIP Experiences includes your own VIP host who works with you to craft a special day for your family
- Unlimited Digital Photo Package
- Food & Beverage Packages
Seasonal Events
LEGOLAND California also has fun seasonal events like:
- Red, White & Book July 4th Celebration
- Brick-or-Treat Party with tons of candy & LEGO goodies for trick-or-treaters. This party is held on select nights throughout October.
- Holidays at LEGOLAND capture the magic of the holidays when the entire resort is just bursting with holiday cheer.
- Kids’ New Year’s Eve party is a family fun way to ring in the New Year
We enjoyed a great 2 Night stay at the LEGOLAND HOTEL and LEGOLAND Park with our 10-year old grandson! The park is so easy to navigate and the Reserve & Ride feature made it an easy relaxing day in the park!
Universal Studios Hollywood
During the same trip with our grandson, we spent an enjoyable day at Universal Hollywood! This unique park is set in the Hollywood hills and has three levels connected by escalators! There are 17 different rides & attractions including the new Super Nintendo World! The park is actually a working film studio too and you can take a tour by tram through the studio! Great Universal icons are featured throughout the park, including:
- Super Nintendo World
- Jurassic World
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- The Secret Life of Pets
- Despicable Me
- Kung Fu Panda
- King Kong
- The Simpsons
- The Mummy
VIP Tours
On two different visits to Universal Hollywood, we enjoyed the VIP Tour experiences! One tour is a group tour of up to 13 guests and this VIP experience follows a set itinerary which allows guests to experience the most popular rides & attractions with no wait in line. You have a tour guide that takes you through your day, shares insider knowledge & backstage access, an exclusive lunch experience in the VIP dining room, Unlimited Express Pass all day and more!
Another VIP experience is the private VIP Tour! We enjoyed this experience with our family Summer of 23 and what a fun day it was! We had a private guide for our party of 7 that allowed us to set the pace and itinerary for the day.
Accommodations
Universal Hollywood can be a busy one-day experience or take your time and enjoy 2 days in the park by booking your stay at one of the two Universal City hotels that are adjacent to the park. The Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City and Sheraton Universal Hotel both have walking paths that connect them to the parks & the Universal CityWalk area making them very convenient for an extended stay!
Universal CityWalk is a dining & entertainment where you can enjoy a great meal, shop and even enjoy a great movie!
More Southern California Fun
Other Southern California experiences we have enjoyed:
- Griffith Park is a part of the Los Angeles, Parks & Recreation system and is a beautiful park in the Hollywood Hills. The park includes the Autry Museum of the American West, horse-back riding, a train ride, pony rides, a golf course and the world-famous Griffith Observatory. The Griffith Observatory features different exhibits and an amazing planetarium presentation.
- Hollywood Walk of Fame allows you to stroll along Hollywood Boulevard and explore the world’s most famous sidewalk and the celebrities it honors.
- Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier is located on the shoreline in Santa Monica and is an iconic spot featured in many movies. Enjoy a day at the amusement park or just relax in one of the seaside cafes!
Additional must see for our future trips to Southern California are:
Each time we visit our list of things we want to do & see grows!
Knott’s Berry Farm
Top of our bucket list for our next visit to Southern California is Knott’s Berry Farm! Legend has it, Walter Knott and Walt Disney were good friends! In the 1940’s Walter Knott turned his popular restaurant into a theme park attraction and to this day, it is considered the world’s original theme park! The two Walter’s were not competitors as one would assume, but rather they were good friends who encouraged each other & learned from each other as they both developed their theme parks.
Today Knott’s Berry Farm Theme Park is over 160 acres of family fun with dozens of rides & attractions!
Reach out to your Magic For Less Travel agent when you’re ready to plan your own Southern California Adventure. We’re ready to help make your Southern California vacation dreams a reality.
